In the Virginia personal injury world, it’s not always a walk in the park when starting and finishing your personal injury case. Some are settled quickly, while others drag on for years. Some of these even end up going to trial. You may be able to handle your case on your own, but you should look for a lawyer's help in more complex cases. As a Board-certified personal injury attorney, I know fist hand that some claims do need expertise to avoid all of the pitfalls that could destroy your personal injury claim. Don’t fall victim to any of these pitfalls that could ruin your personal injury claim before it starts.

1) Insurance adjuster is your friend. This happens and it happens fast, so listen to my warning: don’t let them trick you into thinking that they’re your friend or are actually helping you out. It’s really quite the opposite, as they will do everything they can to close the case asap. That’s what they get paid for, and this usually means catching you doing or saying something that throws out your claim! This can be a recorded statement that haunts you later down the road, or even a written statement. Their job is to make sure the insurance company gives you a low amount of money.

2) There’s a secret formula. Every case is different. You can’t type variables into an equation and get a magic number, but you can get in contact with an attorney who will give you a rough idea of what you can expect to recover.

3) Lawsuits are a lottery. Virginia is conservative, cases are tough, and you may not collect what you think you’re due. In a society where there’s going to be frivolous lawsuits, Virginia is one of the toughest states to collect on a completely legitimate lawsuit.

What you should do to find all the answers to your questions after a car wreck, is order a FREE copy of our consumer guide, The Five Deadly Sins That Can Wreck Your Injury Claim, to learn more about personal injury claims in Virginia. This should answer a lot of your questions, and give you a chance to decide for yourself if you need a personal injury lawyer or not.

If you have a question for Ben, you can submit it confidentially online at JustAskBenGlass.com.